Should Wired be metric or imperial?

Growing up in 1970s Britain, I got used to the mish-mash of imperial and metric measures that they taught us at school and so I don’t have a problem with describing something as 2ft tall and a metre wide.

But it feels like Wired should be rather more consistent. The trouble is, how?

The obvious answer would be to make every measurement metric. Molecules are nanometres long; rockets fly at 1,000 metres per second; and so on.

But then things start to unravel. Planes appear to fly at 33,000ft wherever they take off from; cars in Britain can’t go more than 70mph (not 112.7km/h); and people are more often 5’10” than 1.8 metres tall.

So, we would like to throw open the conundrum and ask you what you think. Taking metric as our base, should there be some things that are always measured imperially? And are there any units that should be consigned to the dustbin of the past?

Please help us make a list. And, even better, let us know if you think there is rule we can apply in the future.

Looking forward to your (measured) responses.

Edited by Holden Frith

Comments

I vote for metric.

Thomas

Nov 10th 2009

I think you have the answer already. Tend towards metric, but use imperial where it's better understood.

So cold days will continue to be 0deg and hot ones in the seventies.

Andy Gardiner

Nov 10th 2009

Use E-ink on the parts where measurements appear, so we can choose by flicking a switch on the contents page. An appropriately Wired solution, methinks.

beemoh

Nov 10th 2009

I'd go metric and sugar it by saying it's standards compliant.

Janos P Toth

Nov 10th 2009

I think you spelled it out, give both Imperial & Metric, when space is an issue use Metric unless Imperial is the standard, ie MPH for UK/US road speeds etc.

Probably best to put the Imperial in brackets, people forget we learn more metric than imperial now.

hexhunter

Nov 10th 2009

Metric, metric, metric.

Louis Priday

Nov 10th 2009

I smell subject matter for the infoporn along the bottom of next issue’s pages …

Tony

Nov 10th 2009

Vote Metric. For the sake of the children. But seriously, enough of this dual UK system already.

RichSpalding

Nov 10th 2009

I may well be comfortable with technology but I'm proud to say Imperial is my preferred choice of measurement. I'd like to the Royal Mint to reintroduce shillings and sixpence if at all possible. Failing that the Euro would be more helpful...

Bob Le Hat

Nov 10th 2009

metric, metric, metric.

The more it gets used, the better understanding there will be and less need for Imperial. Perhaps a compromise is to do both but metric as standard and brackets for Imperial e.g. 1.8m (5'10") ?

Paulo Cunha

Nov 10th 2009

@Andy Gardiner - Noooooooooooo! You can't use two sets of units to measure the same thing. That makes our compromised system even worse.

That said, I go with the crowd who say use metric unless we conventionally favour imperial.

Pretty much everything should be metric, apart from driving speeds, road distances, people's heights and measures of beer.

James West

Nov 10th 2009

I vote metric for temperature however hot or cold it is. I never understand how hot it is supposed to be when people speak about 70's, 80's or whatever. Give me 25 degrees C and I know what I'm doing.

Oh yeh, and metric for everything else to. Got to move forward.

Pete

Nov 10th 2009

It's GOT to be metric, imperial units make no sense ... there are 16 ounces in a pound but 14 pounds in a stone ... IT MAKES NO SENSE ... ditch feet for height and MPH for speed as well, let's get into the 21st century ...

PDJ

Nov 10th 2009

Even if I'm an amateur pilot, I say metric everywhere. We have ten fingers, we are naturally brought to count in base 10."My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it" (The Simpsons).

Lorenzo

Nov 11th 2009

Even if I'm an amateur pilot, I say metric everywhere. We have ten fingers, we are naturally brought to count in base 10."My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it" (The Simpsons).